MOTC to require new vehicles to be branded next year

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on August 30, 2006. It reports that according to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, in the near future, all motor vehicles will be required to be branded with the engine code before a license plate can be issued.

This new measure aims to incorporate the efforts of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the National Police Administration, to jointly counter the problem of theft of motorcycles and cars.

The new measure will apply to imported and locally produced motorcycles, sedans and small trucks. All vehicle dealers will have to present valid documents and prove that the vehicles have been branded and certified by authorities. The new measure will take effect on January 1, 2007, for motorcycles. Other types of vehicles will have to follow suit in mid-2007.

In general, vehicle branding involves adding important identification numbers to the body and some parts of a vehicle, such as the engine number or the serial number of parts. The measure has proven effective in reducing car theft, because it makes it difficult for stolen auto parts to be sold. The measure also helps police to trace the perpetrators and to return the parts to their original owners.

The National Police Administration will be in charge of approving branding techniques. Indeed, while motorcycles can be branded, other techniques will have to be used for placing engine codes on other parts of cars.

The administration currently offers a free branding service nationwide for motorcycles. Parts that can be branded include the headlights, gas tank lids, trunks and batteries. However, the administration does not offer a similar service for cars or trucks. Nonetheless, according to the administration, some techniques are already available in the market that can be used to add engine numbers to other parts in cars, such as radio frequency identification tags.

Still, any technique will have to be certified as being difficult to forge or obliterate.

All in all, only vehicles that apply for new license plats after January 1, 2007, will need to present the branding documents. Cars that are already in use or that need a license plate renewal will not be affected by the new measure.

The government will not reimburse car dealers for costs incurred because of the new measure.